


A Sliver of Time

by itsbecauseimaluthor



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, OUAT - Freeform, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 04:19:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12740886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsbecauseimaluthor/pseuds/itsbecauseimaluthor
Summary: Regina Mills is immortal, her lifelong lover, Emma Swan is not. They meet in the Enchanted Forest, fall in love, but soon after marriage, Emma dies of the plague. The next time they meet, Regina has changed her name to Trina, falls in love with Emma once again, only to have her taken due to a drunk driver and a slippery road. Years and years later they meet in Storybrooke, where once more they fall in love. What happens next? Only the future will tell.*Fic begins in Storybrooke, if there is enough interest, I can write for EF, Em and Trina, and perhaps Roni and Emma in the future. Summary has been shortened to give the gist of the plot.





	1. Just the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> **This will eventually line up with the summary, however, I am starting 'present' day (in the middle of my story line), but I wanted to give the gist for what the plot actually is. The first chapter is mostly for me to get a feel for how I want to write Emma and Regina. 
> 
> This will start in Storybrooke, and will give hints to the past. It is likely to be several chapters long, but I want to know if there is any interest in me publishing the other parts I have (with Regina as the Queen, Trina and Roni) or just sticking with this. I know the summary may have been a little choppy, but I was trying to fit everything in there. Everything will be explained in detail throughout the fic. Chapters are likely to be longer as I take bits and pieces from all of the parts to have everything make sense. Stick with me while I organize everything, ask questions in the comments as they come, though I will try to explain everything I possibly can! Also, be sure to let me know if you are interested in me publishing the other parts as well- they are completely different.
> 
> *One thing to note is that I do not separate dialogue from the paragraph as a personal preference*  
> I may end up writing this as the show does its episodes, with parts in the present and parts in the past. it just depends on how people react.

Regina woke up at eight fifteen, as she did every morning. She was a morning person, and easily sat up and stretched, but smirked as she glanced over at her girlfriend, leaning over and pressing several soft kisses to her face and neck. “Miss Swan, remember when you promised to get to work early today?” she whispered into her ear, chuckling when the blonde grumbled and buried her face in her pillow. “I don’t recall that.” Emma replied, causing the mayor to lightly suck her teeth. “You owe me paperwork by three this afternoon, don’t let it come in late.” She murmured into her ear before rolling out of bed and walking to the bathroom.

Regina started the shower and stepped inside, already undressed due to her actives with Emma the previous night. A slight smile crossed her lips when she heard the familiar, unimpressed groaning of her lover deciding her time would be better spent awake. It only widened when Emma stepped in the shower behind her and wound her arms gently around Regina’s middle. “Good morning, Madame Mayor.” She whispered, nipping gently at her ear while she trailed a line of sloppy, wet kisses down the brunette’s neck. 

“Still on for date night tonight?” Emma questioned, humming in Regina’s ear when the response was ‘yes.’ Little did she know, Regina had the night already planned out in her head. It was the night she was planning to propose to Emma, but it wasn’t the first time she’d get down on one knee and ask the blonde to be her wife. This was number three, and Regina was the only one who remembered.

No matter how many times she had to let her love go, it only got harder and harder over the years. Their love story had started when Regina was still young, before she knew she was immortal, and before she knew what her future with Emma would hold. And it was fabulous, those first few years with Emma, all the love they shared, and all the happiness Emma brought into her life, but then something as simple as a sniffle in the castle took every little shard of happiness away in a matter of days. 

Plague spread quickly, eliminating more than half of the kingdom, and taking the queens wife along with it. Those that had survived wished they hadn’t for the wrath the queen set out on the kingdom was worth than anything imaginable. It had gotten to the point where innocent villagers were terrified to step out of their homes, worried that their once benevolent ruler would be on their doorstep to take their heart for her collection. 

It wasn’t the fairy tale ending Regina wanted, but as everyone who knew her was dying, she was still alive, healthier than ever. And she hadn’t aged a day. Nothing could pinpoint why she didn’t perish like her entire kingdom, and she hadn’t found her answer before deciding that she didn’t want to constantly be reminded of her wife. She relocated, found herself a magic bean and went far, far away from the Enchanted Forest, to the land she currently was living in.

While she was stuck in her thoughts, day dreaming about her past, Emma had moved in front of her and now had her pressed against the wall of the shower. “Hello, earth to Gina,” the blonde snickered, kissing her. “I asked if you made us reservations, or if I have to do that while I’m at work?” she repeated, Regina quickly shaking her head. “Don’t worry about anything, dear. I have everything planned. All you need to do is come home and be ready by eight.” She added, smiling lovingly as she stroked Emma’s cheek, returning all of the usual morning kisses while showering. 

Everything was so mundane in this land, Emma being the only thing that really peaked her interest. After being alive for so long, nothing shocked her and the list of things that she enjoyed grew smaller and smaller the more things changed. She wanted to be normal more than anything, to allow herself to enjoy the small things in life, to get excited about more than just Emma surviving another day, but that was her life now. Emma was her life. While she assumed they had years to enjoy each other’s company, she could never know, and she protect Emma as much as she possibly could.

It was miserable sometimes, always worried about a car crash, or the common cold… things that these people could usually just push to the back of their minds, but for Regina, the thought of losing Emma was always on hers. She was terrified, on edge every second of the day, almost as if she was waiting for something awful to happen, and it was no way to live. 

This time she wanted to enjoy her life, to only have the good memories and to lose the bad ones, but at the same time it was so hard for her to let that go because even with the bad memories, their love story was sickly entangled in there. As much as she hated knowing that one day Emma would be gone, only to come and find her some odd decades later, remembering the smile that made every day bearable, or the laugh that brought her so much joy was better than the memories of losing Emma.

Soon enough, Regina was dressed and downstairs in the kitchen, making coffee for her and Emma. Her heels clicked against the floor as she moved across the kitchen, wearing black stockings, a tight grey skirt, and a simple red, button down blouse. Her hair was down as usual, falling neatly at her shoulders and to top off her look she had small, golden hoop earrings and a matching necklace and bracelet. 

She glanced towards the island in the kitchen as familiar footsteps approached, smiling gently as Emma walked into the kitchen. “Coffee is ready, and so is your lunch. Salad. Stick to the diet, you can cheat tonight at dinner.” Regina said flatly, standing in front of Emma as she trailed her fingertips up and down her arm. She left a wine colored lipstick stain on her cheek, smirking when Emma playfully whined about it. “I’ll see you later, Emma.” The mayor murmured, gathering her things, and walking to the front door.

“Bye, babe. I love you!” Emma called, those last three words making Regina’s heart flutter. She closed her eyes, a smile on her lips as she let out a soft breath. “I love you too.” She said back before making her way to her car and then drove to her office, sighing as she stepped out of the car and moved into the building.

She was greeted with a ‘Good morning, Mayor Mills,’ from her secretary, to which she simply gave a tight lipped smile and continued up the marble staircase and into her office, humming softly to herself while she looked through the neat piles of paperwork on her desk. She actually enjoyed her job, most of the time, but she was never very thrilled when her old ‘friend’ stopped by for visits like he was on that particular day.

“Hard at work I see, tax dollars going to good use as long as our lovely mayor is keeping things calm?” Gold said as he strolled into her office an hour later, closing the door behind him. Regina had a pair of reading glasses perched on her nose as she flipped through pages of a document, neatly scrawling her name or initials wherever it was needed and didn’t bother to look up at him for several minutes, letting the silence linger while she continued with her work.

“Tax dollars which I don’t need because my personal bank account is doing very well on its own.” She quipped, looking through the pages again to make sure she had done everything she needed to. Regina finally looked up at him and leaned back in her chair, tossing her glasses onto her desk. “What do you want?” she asked, sighing when he, of course, brought up that it was getting to the point in her relationship when she usually asked Emma to marry her.

He had known her since before she ever even met her love, so by now, the man had caught on to her pattern. “I am asking her tonight, why does it concern you?” she mumbled, narrowing her eyes when Gold said everything she did concerned him. This was their usual conversation, just when her life started to feel normal, the pest that followed her around came to remind her that she could never truly be normal. Of course he understood her predicament, since he couldn’t die either, and as annoying as he was, it almost helped to have someone who really knew her.

After their chat, which quickly became irrelevant, Regina let out a long sigh and unlocked the drawer to her bottom desk, pulling out a little black box with a patterned lid. Inside held everything that was precious to her, photos of her and Emma from their previous lives together. Most of them were older and faded, and only one was of her and her lover from the Enchanted Forest, that one being a portrait that had taken the artist months to make and finish for them. She had a few tears in her eyes as she looked over the pictures and let out a deep breath as she pulled out the engagement ring. 

She had it resized recently, and had a few small changes made to make it a bit more modern, but essentially it was the same as the first time, and she knew it was the ring Emma had always dreamt about because the blonde had thought up every detail way back when. 

She continued looking through her little box of memories and hadn’t even noticed the time until the door opened, and she gasped in surprise, quickly putting everything in the box and locking it in the drawer. “What’s that?” Emma asked as she strode inside of the office, it now being lunch time. “Regina… are you crying? Why are you crying?” she asked worriedly and hurried over, gently wiping the few tears from her girlfriend’s cheeks. She rarely saw Regina cry, so it was concerning. 

The mayor just smiled weakly and shook her head, “I’m okay, sweetheart. I promise.” She assured and gently pulled Emma into her lap, holding her close as she buried her face in her neck. “I was just missing you is all.” She murmured, laughing quietly when Emma teased her about just seeing her a few hours before, but the sheriff ran her fingers through Regina’s short hair, nuzzling her gently. 

“Why are you here, darling?” Regina then asked, kissing her neck slowly. “Not that I am complaining, but I was not expecting to see you so soon.” She added, but grinned when Emma pulled out the paperwork she had promised to have done for Regina. “As promised. And since I was done early, I thought you would let me take you out to lunch at Granny’s? I know you’re going on and on about this diet, and I have been trying to stick to it, but I really want- “she had rambled, but was cut off by Regina’s lips meeting hers. 

“We can go to Granny’s.” The mayor whispered, humming as Emma tugged gently at her bottom lip. She stood up, gently placing Emma on her feet and then laced their fingers together. 

Since the diner was so close, they walked there and sat at their usual booth, but carried out their tradition of sitting on the same side as each other. At one point, the others in the town would stare since it was such an uncommon thing to do, couples usually sat across from each other. But now it was such a usual thing that everyone was used to it.

After their usual chatter, and Regina making a point to poke at Emma for her childish eating habits, the two returned to work until the end of their work day, meeting back at home. Even though she had asked Emma twice before, the closer they got to dinner and her having to pop the question, the nervous Regina grew about actually asking it. There was something about Emma that always let butterflies loose in her stomach, and she nervously waited at the bottom of the stairs, the ring tucked safely away in her purse.

She was dressed in a form fitting, dark blue dress, her makeup and hair done as always, a pair of black heels completing the look. Much to her surprise, Emma had dressed up as well and was in a gorgeous, looser fitting pink dress, once more making Regina’s heart flutter. “I hope I look okay, you’ll always outdo me when it comes to dressing up, though.” The blonde laughed as she walked down the stairs, her high ponytail swinging behind her. “You look amazing, Emma.” The mayor replied with a loving grin, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she laced her fingers with Emma’s. 

As they drove to the restaurant for dinner, Regina could only hope Emma wouldn’t ask why they were leaving Storybrooke for a simple date night. “It will take us a little while to get there, but I know it’s your favorite place to eat.” She told Emma with a charming smile, driving them to Boston, which wasn’t an incredibly long trip, but long enough for Regina to wonder if she should even ask, and Emma to question why in the world they were going so far.

They were seated almost instantly as they walked into the fancy steak house, being shown to the special tables in the section the restaurant appropriately called ‘lovers lane,’ chatting about nothing specific while waiting and then not saying much while they were eating, as to be expected. 

Regina bit her lip as she looked at Emma and just gave a gentile smile, “I’ll be right back, dear.” She murmured, slipping the ring out of her purse while she walked to where Emma suspected was the bathroom. 

The restaurant was informed of Regina’s plans to propose to her girlfriend when she made the reservation, so they were prepared to follow along when Regina let them know she was ready, and the mayor bit her lip as she peeked over at the table from the hostess’ stand. She was out of sight of Emma while she quietly went over what she wanted to happen, and then let the woman at the front see the ring before she calmly walked back to the table. 

“Emma, darling… I ordered your favorite dessert for you. I hope you don’t mind,” Regina said, reaching over the table and brushing her fingers across Emma’s wrist. The blonde smiled widely, leaning in and kissed her girlfriend slowly. “You’re the best, Gi. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She whispered against her lips, pulling away after a few seconds with a cheeky smile.

While Emma chatted about all the things she loved to do in Boston, Regina kept an eye on the kitchen and took in a slow breath when their waiter, followed by a few of the waitresses brought over Emma’s dessert. The brunette kept her attention while their server slid the plate in front of Emma, and smiled at her confused look when she noticed something was different about the plate she had been given.

Emma glanced down, inspecting the delicately designed plate, not even noticing that Regina had moved from her side of her table, since she was so confused with why her dessert was different. There was a small, chocolate ring drawn on the top of the plate, the actual cake for dessert to the left side, and in the middle the words ‘Will You…’ were neatly scribed on the white dish. Of course, the utterly confused blonde tried to figure it out, “Will you?” she asked, glancing towards the seat her girlfriend had been sitting in, but her focus soon shifted to the woman who was now on one knee on the floor.

“Marry me?” Regina whispered, finishing the sentence with a smile. She pulled the small, black velvet box out from behind her back and flipped the lid open, revealing the engagement ring. Emma’s jaw dropped, and she just stared at Regina, causing the woman on the floor to smile gently. “Will you marry me, Emma?” she asked and smiled widely when Emma quickly nodded and had a few tears slip down her cheeks as Regina slid the ring onto her finger.

Emma pulled her up and into her arms, hugging her tightly and burying her face into Emma’s shoulder. “I love you so much, Gina.” She whispered, pressing several gentile kisses to her now fiancée’s face. “And I love you, Emma.” Regina murmured, kissing her slowly. 

After losing her twice and living so many years without her, Regina finally could call Emma her future wife again and nothing could have made her happier – she just tried not to remind herself that the past would come back to repeat itself, and no matter when it did, it would be too soon for her.


	2. Unplanned Miracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina begin planning for their wedding. After returning home to Storybrooke from their short trip to Boston, Regina tries to put out of her mind the memories of their past, and instead looks towards the future, remaining hopeful that she will have a long, happy life with Emma. But when Gold offers her a deal she simply can't pass up, there could be an unforeseen consequence because of her carelessness.

Emma had been excited to spend the weekend with Regina in Boston, though it soon came to an end. Almost as soon as the pair had come, they left Boston and returned home, Emma laughing happily as her future wife tugged her up to their room and connected their lips. "Perhaps a little... celebration is in order?" Regina whispered, humming as Emma began to unzip her dress. "Do you really have to ask at this point?" The blonde practically moaned, backing Regina to the bed. She smirked as the dress fell to the floor, quickly shedding her own clothing as she laid over top Regina and kissed her deeply. "Mmm... What colors should we have for the wedding?" She asked softly, kissing Regina again. "You're already planning?" Regina teased, smiling lovingly as she brushed her fingers up and down Emma's back. "I will leave the more... subjective details for you to decide, dear. I want you to have your dream wedding, just send the bill my way." She laughed, causing Emma to laugh in response and kiss her deeply. 

Later that day, after Regina had returned to work, Gold paid her a visit and asked how everything had went. She raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering why he was so interested. "I know you have been alive longer than I have, and the whole never dying thing always throws a wrench in fun as it's hard to enjoy things after so long... but why in the hell are you suddenly so interested in my life? You haven't ever cared this much before." The mayor stated coldly, crossing her arms over her chest when the man just chuckled. "You see, dearie... I have something that may interest you. For the moment, I think I will keep it to myself, but I believe that at least for your sake, you will thank me when you see what I've picked up for your wedding present." He simply replied, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. 

As she usually did, Regina pushed the conversation to the back of her mind and just continued with her life on auto pilot. Most days were the same, her routine unchanging besides for getting to spend a little extra time with Emma, which made life so much more enjoyable. By then, it was nearing the six-month mark since they had been engaged, and their wedding was scheduled for the following month, which Regina was getting increasingly nervous about by the day. It wasn't cold feet, just nerves because no matter how many times Emma proved her wrong, Regina always felt that in some way she would mess this up and lose the woman she loved the most forever. 

Everything was going well, the red velvet cake had been picked out, that of course being Emma's influence, and because of the classic red jacket, Regina thought it was adorable and had no complaints. They had their final dress fitting, picked bridesmaids, and essentially had all the details planned out, so there was nothing to worry about. Regina being the sentimental woman she was had taken pictures of everything and was adding them to her box, sighing as she looked through their memories. 

She glanced towards the phone when it rang and just set the box aside, crossing one leg over the other. “Mayors office,” Regina answered, groaning when she recognized the familiar voice on the other end of the phone. “I am sure you put me out of your head, as you always do, but I think it’s time you come collect your wedding present. I assure you you’ll be thanking me once you find out what it is.” Gold’s voice rang from the other end of the phone. “Perhaps you would like a small hint as to what it is?” He murmured, smirking when Regina’s irritable ‘Yes’ was spoken. “I have a way for your… Darling Emma to remain alive, forever.” He stated, chucking when Regina was silent for a few moments.

“What do you want?” She asked flatly and closed her eyes, waiting for his response. “Nothing, my sweet, sweet friend. I just… simply am investing in the future.” He murmured, laughing softly. While Regina knew he always had something up his sleeve, having her lover live forever with her was something she couldn’t pass up and she stood, leaving everything on her desk. “I’m on my way.” She said, hanging up and hurrying out of the room.

She hadn’t remembered to lock her box of memories away from wandering eyes as she usually did, she was far too focused on the idea of never losing Emma again. The former queen, however, did not take into account that her fiancée always came to her office around the same time every day to see her, even if she could not stay for long.  
So, when the blonde came walking in, the secretary thought nothing of it and unlocked Regina’s office for her. “She ran out quickly, didn’t say where she was going but I can only assume that Mayor Mills will be back soon.” The young woman who unlocked the door for Emma said with a soft smile. At one point, she wouldn’t have allowed anyone in the office without the Mayor there, but Emma was not only Regina’s future wife, she was also the sheriff and it was just assumed that she would not steal anything, or cause any trouble being left alone in the office.

After she was left alone, Emma hummed softly and walked to Regina’s desk, humming to herself as she glanced over what her wife to be was working on for the day. “What’s this?” She whispered to herself as she noticed the box sitting there and pursed her lips, sitting down in Regina’s rolling chair before taking the lid off. 

At first, it just seemed like a box with pictures, but when Emma looked closer, her eyes widened. The women in the pictures were undeniably her and Regina, though she had no recollection of taking them, and they didn’t even look like they were from this time period. They were old, faded, turning a slight, milky purple due to a lack of fixer on the developed images. Her eyes just widened even more as she continued looking through the box, soon enough coming across the portrait done of her and Regina from the Enchanted Forest, which once again, she did not remember.

The passing time didn’t hold any thought in her mind, and it was only when the woman who held her heart walked into the room that Emma looked up, confusion on her face. “Regina,” She whispered as calmly as she could, furring her eyebrows at Regina’s excited expression. “Emma!” The brunette murmured, running to her, and kissing her deeply. “Baby, I have a lot to explain but… I finally have what I need.” She whispered, and Emma pulled away, staring at her.

“Yes, you do have a lot to explain. What are these?” Emma asked, pointing to the pictures in the box. She knew about Regina being the evil queen, but she also knew that she hadn’t ever taken any photos or had any professional work done with said queen. “Emma… please… it’s not the right time.” Regina whispered, frowning when Emma pushed her away. “What? So, you’re okay with lying to me now? Since when do we keep secrets from each other?” The blonde snapped bitterly. 

“I promise you… it’s not like that, Emma. But it is complicated and it’s just not the right time.” Regina begged, but it seemed Emma already had her mind set. “If you don’t tell me what’s going on, it’s over, Regina! I will not stand here and be lied to by someone who claims to love me! What are these pictures and why are you hiding things from me?” She mumbled bitterly, as tears welled in the mayor’s eyes.

“Because you died, Emma!” She screamed. “You died! And I was alone, for years, upon years, upon years I was alone! I didn’t have you, I didn’t have anyone… and right when I was willing to accept that you were dead, and that you were not coming back, then you did! I had changed everything about my life, I changed my name, how I looked, where I lived… everything! And then there you came, walking back into my life,” Regina started, a tear slipping down her cheek. 

“And Emma… I was so happy, I had everything. I had you back, the love of my life… we were so happy. But there was an accident, it was slippery, and you were driving,” She continued, choking back tears, “you tried to stop… they tried to stop, but it was too late. You died in my arms before the paramedics got there, and I was the only one to survive the crash,” Regina sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I didn’t know you were going to come back again, surely I couldn’t lose the woman I love the most twice and get another chance with her… but here you are, right in front of me, engaged to me again.” She finally finished, her cheeks a bit red and puffy from crying.

Emma had a few tears slip down her cheeks as well and just slumped against Regina, knowing that there was no possible way she could be lying. “Emma… I can’t die. I’ve been alive for decades longer than I should have, nothing kills me.” She whispered, holding her close. “But I have a way that you can be with me, forever. That’s why I was gone… shortly after you… died the first time, I begged Rumple-Gold… the Dark One at the time to find any way to bring you back. But there’s no way to bring someone back from the dead with magic. For some reason, I don’t die, and he has been working ever since then to figure out how and why… he won’t tell me how he found it, or what’s in it, but this will keep you alive forever, Emma. We can be together forever, all you have to do is drink this.” She murmured, running her fingers up and down Emma’s back.

The blonde just stared up at her and sighed softly, knowing that she had forced that out of Regina, and she did feel slightly guilty about it, but she needed to know. “Gina… I love you so much, and I will love you every single day for the rest of eternity. But that’s what you’re asking me for… you are asking me to be with you for eternity. And my love, I want that more than anything. But I need to really put some thought into this. Because what I am trading is years of my life… I will be miserable watching my family and friends die.” Emma whispered and looked up at her. “I’m not telling you know, but I am also not saying yes… I just need more time before I made such a big decision.” She murmured, forcing a smile when Regina pulled out the potion.

She handed it to Emma and sighed when the woman begged for no secrets. “I will try my absolute best, but I need you to believe me. When you need to know information about the past, I will tell you.” Regina promised, kissing her slowly. 

As much as it hurt to know that yes to being immortal with her forever was not Emma’s instant answer, she reminded herself that Emma hadn’t been through as much as she had. Regina was well used to those she cared for most dying, but Emma was only getting started when it came to dealing with loss of those she loved. It would be a long road ahead of them if the woman did decide to be with her forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have several ideas when it comes to what could happen in relation to Emma choosing to be or not to be immortal with Regina, keep in mind that my timeline is au, and does not completely follow the ouat storyline. At this time, they do not have Henry in their lives. Either:  
> a) some way, some how they adopt/have Henry after being married - Emma chooses to be immortal in this scenario to fit my idea  
> b) Emma chooses to be immortal, Henry is not involved. Potentially could be a child different from Henry in future chapters  
> c) Emma decides not to take the potion, which creates a strain on their relationship, and potentially a very big curve for the plot  
> d) anyone have any ideas they would like to toss in for this? 
> 
> Opinions on which scenario/suggestions are welcome in the comments. Please keep everything concerning my writing style and plot choices friendly. <3


End file.
